The AIF Project

War service: Egypt, Western Front

Embarked Sydney, 4 October 1915.

Found guilty of disobedience of orders, 9 February 1916: fined 10/-; (2) absent from parade, 9 February 1916: forfeited 1 day's pay.

Taken on strength, 1st Light Horse Reserve Regiment, Heliopolis, 1 March 1916.

Found guilty, 3 March 1916, of being absent from 2 pm parade; (2) absent from Guard, 2 March 1916: forfeited 1 day's pay.

Found guilty, 3 April 1916, of being absent from defaulters' parade 2 days: awarded 14 days' confined to barracks. Returned to duty from detention, 28 April 1916.

Absent without leave, 9 am, 13 May, to 6.30 pm, 15 May 1916: awarded 21 days' Field Punishment No 2; forfeited 3 days' pay.

Found guilty, 24 May 1916, of whilst undergoing 21 days' Field Punishment No 2 being absent without leave from 5 am, 20 May, to 11 pm, 21 May 1916: awarded 7 days' Field Punishment No 2 and forfeited 2 days' pay.

Found guilty, 17 June 1916, of escaping custody while undergoing Field Punishment; absent 31 May 1916: awarded 21 days' Field Punishment No 2 and in detention. Field General Court Martial: found guilty, 4 July 1916, of escaping whilst in confinement: sentenced to 120 days' imprisonment with hard labour and to be dismissed from His Majesty's Service. CiC, EEF, General A.J. Murray, ruled, 12 July 1916, that the sentence of dismissal was 'inoperative, there being no such sentence under the Army Act in the case of a regular soldier.' In Detention Barracks, Abbassia, 24 August 1916; transferred to The Citadel, Cairo, 7 September 1916. Remainder of sentence suspended, 7 October 1916; released, 9 October 1916; taken on strength, 1st Light Horse Training Regiment from detention, 9 October 1916; taken on strength, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Kantara, 28 October 1916.

Found guilty, 15 December 1916, of neglect of duty in that he at Bir-el-Armassi, 26 November 1916, failed to remove all nose bags and allowed a horse to stray from the line: awarded 4 days' Field Punishment No 2. Found guilty, 15 December 1916, of conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he was late for parade, 14 December 1916: awarded 7 days' Field Punishment No 2 with forfeiture of pay.

Sick to hospital, Shellal, 27 April 1917; admitted to 54th Casualty Clearing Station, 27 April 1917; transferred to 26th Casualty Clearing Station and admitted, 1 May 1917 (fistula in ano); to 14th Australian General Hospital, Cairo, 29 April 1917; to Convalescent Depot, Abbassia, 16 May 1917.

Found guilty, 7 June 1917, of overstaying his pass in Cairo from 8 pm, 3 June, until apprehended by M.P. about 9.20 pm, 4 June 1917 (about 25 hrs 20 mins): awarded forfeiture of 14 days' pay; forfeited a total of 16 days' pay. Taken on strength, 1st Light Horse Training Regiment, Moascar, 8 June 1917.

Found guilty, 26 June 1917, of when on active service (1) being absent without leave from 0445, 16 June, to 1445, 20 June 1917; (2) out of bounds: awarded 10 days' Field Punishment No 1 and deprived of 5 days' pay; forfeited a total of 15 days' pay. Admitted to Field Punishment Compound, Moascar, 26 June 1917; rejoined unit, 3 July 1917. Transferred to 2nd Light Horse Regiment, 4 July 1917.

Sick to hospital, Marakeb, and admitted to 1st Light Horse Field Ambulance, 28 August 1917 (fistula in ano); transferred to 74th Casualty Clearing Station, 30 August 1917; to 24th Stationary Hospital, 30 August 1917; by train to Cairo and admitted to 14th Australian General Hospital, 31 August 1917. Found guilty, 21 September 1917, of disobedience of hospital orders in that he was absent from 9-10.30 pm, 20 September: awarded forfeiture of 3 days' pay. Discharged to Moascar, 21 September 1917, and taken on strength, 1st Light Horse Regiment, 22 September 1917.

Found guilty, 6 November 1917, of conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he at Moascar on the afternoon of 5-11-17 did not rejoin the party after being given permission to go to the latrines: awarded 168 hours' Field Punishment No 2. Admitted to Field Punishment Compound, 8 November 1917; taken on strength, 1st Light Horse Regiment, from Detention Compound, 15 November 1917. Transferred to Infantry Details, 5 December 1917.

Marched out to Alexandria for embarkation to England, 14 December 1917; embarked on board HT 'Volumnia', 18 December 1917; taken on strength, 47th Bn, Codford, England, 12 January 1918.

Proceeded overseas to France, 1 April 1918; taken on strength, 47th Bn, 6 April 1918. Transferred to 48th Bn and taken on strength, 25 May 1918. Reported absent without leave, 27 May 1918; arrested, 1 July 1918; returned from absent without leave, 2 July 1918.

Absent without leave, 17 July 1918; arrested Corps Reinforcements Camp, 1 August 1918. Absent without leave, 19 August 1918. Court of Enquiry held on 11 October 1918 declared that 'No 1485 Pte Stafford R.G. illegally absented himself w/o leave 19-8-18 and is still so absent.' Arrested in Paris, 7 November 1918; rejoined unit, 11 November 1918.

Absent without leave, 2 January 1919.

Field General Court Martial, held 9 December 1918: charge (1) when in confinement escaping 10 July 1918; (2) absent without leave from 11 am, 19 August, to 10 am, 4 November 1918. Finding: guilty. Sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment with hard labour.

Court of Enquiry, held 7 February 1919, declared that 'No 1485 Pte Stafford R.G. illegally absented himself from 48th Bn, 2 January 1919, and that he is still so absent.

Killed, 26 February 1919 (awaiting results of Court of Enquiry) 'shot whilst resisting arrest. Soldier to blame.'

48th Bn war diary noted, 26 February 1919: 'As Private Stafford, absent without leave from the Battalion, was recognised again in CHARLEROI. It was decided to attempt his capture. This man has entries of crimes covering both sides of three conduct sheets since 1915, and with the peculiar distinction of never having been in the Front line trenches. Two Battalion Officers, Lieut. R.R. Shanks and 2/Lieut. H.W. Mott, proceeded to Charleroi in the evening. They wore no officers' distinctions and no colour patches but carried each a loaded revolver and a pass from the C.O. with orders to affect the capture of Private STAFFORD, dead or alive. These officers commenced the search at 7.30 pm, and found the missing man in a disreputable brothel of the town. In typical Wild West style they held up the entire dancing saloon. Lieut. Shanks grappled with the prisoner and threw him to the ground, while Lieut. Mott covered the prisoner and the habitues of the saloon with two revolvers. During the scuffle on the floor Private STAFFORD attempted to draw a revolver. He was immediately shot by Lieut. Mott. STAFFORD's dying words were, "You bastard," which may be regarded as his own epitaph to one of the most criminal lives of a soldier in the Australian Imperial Force. Great commendation is due to Lieut. Shanks and Lieut. Mott for their resource and gameness, and undeniable credit to the Battalion for their original and effective means of capturing and terminating the career of a man who brought discredit to the honourable record of the 48th Battalion.'